Page 48 of Brutal Heir

I take the outside route so I don’t bump into Elena again. I’m not sure she’s ready for that.

Getting into the truck, I head home to drop off the trailer. I’m halfway there when my phone rings. Sage. I hit the button to answer the phone.

“Hey,” I reply, a smile in my voice.

“Hey. I’ve got a situation,” she says, sounding concerned. “Elena came to the office on Friday and hasn’t been heard from since.” Her voice trembles. “I have guys looking for her—”

So, it’s been a weekend fling for them. “She’s fine, if that’s what you are wondering.”

“And Bill said to…” She pauses. “Did you say she’s fine?”

“Yes, I just saw her over with Addler.”

The roar of her truck’s engine goes down. “You physically saw her?”

That’s a hell of a way to put it because I saw way more than I intended.

“Yeah. Come by the house, and we’ll go over.”

Chapter 27

Sage

In the past, I’ve only admired the de Marco home from afar. Now, pulling up in front of the house, I can see all the detail put into the structure. It’s a breathtaking experience.

The two-story mansion stretches out like a pair of magnificent wings. A large wrought-iron gate matches the grates at each window. Each one masked in an intricate design. I wouldn’t have thought the grate to be more than decorative if I hadn’t seen something similar in town.

Ezequiel parks his truck in front of the gate, and I follow suit. He looks at me, as if expecting to see an awestruck expression. Well, he would have gotten one, but it turns out he’s much more interesting than the house.

“Hey again.” I meet him in front of his truck.

“Let’s get this done.” He heads toward the wrought-iron gate then pauses. “Follow me,” he says, changing direction. “It’seasier if we go this way.” He leads me around the house. Even though we’re on an even, well-maintained sidewalk, it isn’t long before I decide I should have driven here.

We go in a side gate then walk past a massive grill area with its own bar then a pool that looks so inviting, I almost want to dive in. Finally, we reach the back of the house.

Ezequiel knocks at the French doors. I catch a glimpse of Addler sitting at the table. Elena is standing between his legs, her arms wrapped around his neck while he caresses her backside. I look away quickly, realizing I’ve stumbled upon an intimate moment.

Ezequiel pushes the door open, and follow him in. MissI don’t know him, I’m just a localis cozied up with Addler de Marco, playing handsies. I can’t wait until I get her alone on Monday.

Ezequiel clears his throat then gives Elena a quick nod before turning to Addler. Maybe I misunderstood, but I didn’t think things were that formal between them.

“You said it was okay to come by,” Ezequiel says.

“You’re good,” Addler replies.

Elena gives him a sharp look. I wonder what’s going on between them, or her and Ezequiel. It couldn’t have something to do with the comment I made the other day, could it? I search my memory, knowing I made a disparaging remark about him, but I can’t remember what I said.

“Hello again, Mr. de Marco.” I give him a quick nod. “I just needed to check on Elena and make sure she’s okay.” I turn to her, as if I can’t actually see she’s physically okay.

“I’m fine,” she replies, sounding uncomfortable. Is itbecause we showed up when we did, or something else?

“It’s just that your car has been parked at the office for a couple of days,” I add, more than anything to let her know why I’m here. “The guys reviewed the logs to see if you’d left and didn’t find anything.”

“I’m sorry, Sage. I hadn’t…” She stops, her lips parted as if she doesn’t know what to say. “Hadn’t expected…to be here this long,” she finally finishes.

I know exactly how that can go. I refuse to look at Ezequiel in the meantime.

“That’s fine.” I smile, though I’m more anxious for Monday to get here with every word that’s said. “It’s just that I called Bill.” I shrug, feeling stupid for doing that now that I know what’s going on. “He said for me to call Ezequiel, and he was going to call you. He got concerned when you didn’t answer…”

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